


Letters from a Central City Prison

by rangersandlegends



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Canon Compliant, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-05
Updated: 2018-07-05
Packaged: 2019-06-05 13:08:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,126
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15171410
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rangersandlegends/pseuds/rangersandlegends
Summary: Just a short piece on letters Barry and Iris write while Barry is serving time.





	Letters from a Central City Prison

There’s not much to do in prison. Time out in the yard, card games, meals. Not much else. Visiting hours were the only times worth anything at all. For Barry, that was every day at 1:30. He got a few precious moments with his new wife.

 

Yes, it was all closely monitored and regulated. Yes, it was limited. Yes, it was worth it. They mostly talked about the team, the state of the city, and the state of his appeal. With such limited time, they kept idle chatter to a minimum.

 

Others came to visit, too. Joe wanted to see his son, Cisco and Caitlin their friend, and Cecile her client. But Iris always came with them, so that, at the very least, they could see each other. It was better than nothing.

 

Barry was surprised when he got the first letter. No one had mentioned they were going to send mail. But the return address was Barry and Iris West-Allen. Barry couldn’t help but smile. The return address labels were the first “West-Allen” item that Iris had bought, and she was so happy to see it printed for the first time.

 

He opened the envelope, and was greeted by a particular smell, Iris’ scent. She must’ve spritzed it with her perfume. A quick once-over let him know Iris had handwritten it.

 

It was a love letter. That wasn’t something they had ever done for each other before. They were always so busy, and they had lived in such close quarters for so long, it didn’t seem necessary. Barry got comfortable on his bunk and began to read.

 

“Dear Barry,

 

I’ve never written one of these before, so you’ll have to cut me some slack. I thought I would tell you all the things I never seem to get the chance to say. First, and most importantly, I love you. Not the immate, or the CSI, or the Flash. Before you were any of these things, you were Barry Allen, and that’s who I love. Second, you are innocent. No one can take that away from you. And we’re going to prove it.

 

Do you remember junior prom? We were both single and we went as friends. I didn’t know you loved me, then, but I should’ve figured it out. You insisted we dance all the slow songs together, and you didn’t take your eyes off of me the whole night. There’s a lot of memories I look back on and realize all the clues I missed, all the details. I think “what if?” What if I had known? What if either of us had said something? We could’ve had so much more time, years of it. Life would be so different.

 

I’ve never told anyone this, but I never wanted to be team leader. But without a Wells, and Cisco and Wally both needed out in the field, there weren’t a lot of options. Dad was doing his best to rally the force to get the metas that we couldn’t, so I was the only one left. I know you would want me to keep running. So I learned every function of the computers and made myself a leader. I never imagined you’d come back, and I’d be your boss.

 

I worry sometimes that the decisions I made played right into DeVoe’s hands. Maybe if I had a different strategy, you wouldn’t be where you are now. I lose myself in “what ifs”. My husband can time travel, and I can’t stop thinking about regrets of the past. Do you ever want to go back, do it differently? Tell me you loved me sooner, avoid the lightning bolt, kill DeVoe?

 

But we already learned that lesson. The past is past. All we can change is our futures. Like how, in marrying you, I changed mine for the better. You are my better half, my best friend, my favorite person. I can’t wait until I’m in your arms. Until then, I’m forever yours.

 

Iris.”

 

Barry set the letter down. His wife believed in him. She had written him a beautiful letter, and she loved him.

 

He spent the rest of the day in a haze, until he was able to get a pen and paper to write Iris back. He settled back in his bunk and wrote.

 

“Dear Iris,

 

I can’t believe you wrote me a love letter while I’m in here. I didn’t think it was possible to love you more than I already did, yet here we are. You know you’re the writer in the family, so you’ll have to forgive whatever I write.

 

When I came back from the Speed Force, I wasn’t surprised you were team leader. And not because of process of elimination (if the team wanted a Wells, they could’ve gotten one). No, I wasn't surprised because I always saw it in you. Your courage and tenacity, your heart and your brains, it was an easy call to make you leader. And none of what’s happened has been your fault. You’ve made the best, and sometimes only, calls to have been made. I don’t blame you for being here. I only blame DeVoe.

 

You're not the only one who thinks about hypotheticals. I’ve had eighteen years to consider what would have happened if I had told you my feelings sooner. But I don’t regret it. You needed that time to become the version of you that you are now, the one that I love.

 

Since you shared a secret with me, I’m going to share one with you. I have kept a copy of every article you’ve ever published. Not just digital editions, but real hard copies. If I could scrapbook, I’d make one for you. As it is, i just look at them every once in a while to remember how proud of you I am. One day, I’m going to go through them with our children, so they know how amazing their mom is.

 

I wish I had that archive with me here. It would be like having a piece of you with me. I could read your words, and heard your voice. For now, I’m keeping the letter you wrote me under my mattress so no one else can see it. It smells like you, a smell I can’t have with you on the other side of the glass. It helps me dream of you. I can’t wait to hold you again. Until then, stay safe. All my love,

 

Barry.”

 

He couldn’t do much more than hand it off to the inmate at the mailroom along with some change, and hope it made it back to Iris’ hands. He had faith it would.

 

After all, he and Iris always found a way back to each other.


End file.
